Our Nindo
by MiniRoonie
Summary: Kakashi had never seen a group of ninja's so horrible - they were loud, obnoxious, dealing with hormones, trying to catch a psycho older brother, find their place in the world, deal with daddy issues and overall, just trying not to get killed. And for some crazy reason, Kakashi thought they might actually have a chance to be great.


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Prologue

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_Life changes fast. Life changes in __an__ instant. You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.~__Joan Didion_

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Deep inside the country of Demons, he lived on a mountain with only one safe way up and if you were able to make the six hour walk – for civilians, Shinobi could make the trip in two hours—from the closest village then you'd encounter a thickening fog. As you walked higher and higher, the fog would become almost impossible to see through and this is where all civilians were forced to give up and only the shinobi with good enough senses journeyed on. Just before the thick mist ended, the mountains created a fume which intoxicated any human who were impure. Very, very few shinobi ever made it past here with their senses messed up. Demons were purified and rejected from entering.

And the few who made it passed the mist were encountered with one last challenge; they faced the four strongest warriors of The Band of Seven.

For years, people would look at the shrine at the top of the mountain and spread rumors. Depending on who you talked to, the rumors changed. Some say the shrine contained powerful weapons which could conquer even the elemental nations, others claimed that many Ninmenka* trees grew there and that was why no one ever returned.

Recently a new rumor had begun to spread across the villages that lived close to the mountain. The rumor claimed that over a thousand years ago, seven frightening warriors almost destroyed the Demonic Continents, but a monk who was attempting to reach Nirvana encountered them and imprisoned them in his shrine on Mt. Hakurei, sacrificing his own body to cleanse the warriors of their evil. Three of the most blood thirsty warriors rejected the change and so the monk, with his remaining power, threw the three into the belly of the mountain. Down there, the evil seeped from their bodies and destroyed the beauty of the mountain and morphed it into the jagged and dangerous place it is now. Still in the belly, the warriors bodies were absorbed into each other and created something pure out of the monks fleeting energy: A very young and pure child was created.

The last four warriors, cleansed from their past evil, swore to protect the child.

A child, it was said, that could bring peace to the world.

Or destroy it.

But he, the leader of the remaining Band of Seven, knew the truth. His comrades were not changed into a child, they were killed by that damn Inu-Hanyou. The monk from the rumor did indeed die, but he died a man filled with regret and was manipulated in his last moments into harboring evil in his mountain which changed the beauty of the land. As for the child...

"Bankotsu-nii?" a small voice echoed from behind him.

He chucked to himself and waved a hand to invite the kid. A small girl with black tufty hair and bright blue eyes padded over to the older man and plopped down next to him, leaning close to look at the scroll he had been reading.

He watched her scrunch her eyebrows in confusion as she tried to make out some of the kanji. At five years old, she understood a lot more than other kids her age, but even still, she did have trouble reading the same things he did.

It wasn't a surprise anymore to find her in his room reading some of his scrolls or books. He didn't mind so much but he would prefer it if she stayed away from the orange book he kept under his pillow...

Pointing at the closest kanji to her, she looked up at him and asked, "What's that say, nii-san?"

He rolled his eyes and tossed the scroll somewhere behind him. She watched the scroll fly through the room and clank against the wall. It unrolled messily on the ground and she looked back to her brother who grabbed his sword and was inspecting it. It looked fine to her but she guessed he saw stuff she didn't.

"Nii-san?"

He grunted and answered, "Just some rumors that those stupid villagers like to believe." He scoffed and rose, grabbing the hilt of his sword and resting it against his shoulder. Looking back down at her, he smirked at her curious stare and tilted head. "Don't worry about it gaki, it's nothing important." He ruffled her hair and grinned cheekily at her when she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

She swatted his hand away and clumsily stood, racing after him as he walked away. Where was he going? Catching up to him, she heard him muttering something about lateness. Mentally she shook her head. Now she knew where he was going. She wasn't sure how but whenever the other mercenaries returned from a mission, her brother always knew. She still wasn't sure how but for now, she ignored it. She was on a mission to find out what that scroll said! "But I wanna know nii-san!" she insisted.

He glanced down at her and shrugged his shoulders."Remember what that mist at the bottom of the mountain does to people?"

She bit her lip and thought really hard. It had been a long time since she'd been to the bottom of the mountain but sometimes she could see people try to climb the mountain from a certain cliff. It was hard to see what really happened but it looked like they got really dizzy first and then they started acting funny most of the time.

Not really knowing, she voiced hesitantly, "They... get confused?"

"More like drunk off their ass!"

"Huh?"

He looked at her confused face and remembered that he was talking to five year old who only drank milk, water and juice. Not knowing how to describe sake he breezily said, "You'll know when you're older."

"So-?"

"SO! One of those drunk as—Err...one of the...confused people started ranting about a child of prophecy a few weeks back. He went on and on that they were gonna save the world or some stupid crap like that. All those idiot villagers assumed that he was talking about you. Morons!"

She giggled at his words and grinned happily back at her brother who he sent her a smirk. He opened the screen door to the main pavilion and she breathed in the air, watching her brother join a group of three men, each holding their own weapon.

"Kagome-chan!"

Kagome smiled brightly and waved, welcoming them back home. She tried to stifle her laugh when Jakotsu pushed past Bankotsu, making him fall backwards, and ran to her. He lifted her to his lean chest and crushed her to him. Even though he was splattered with blood, she ignored it and just focused on the fact that Jakotsu was back and safe from whatever mission Bankotsu had sent him on and hugged him back.

The effeminate mercenary set her down and went about gushing about a few men that he had seen that had enamored him. She didn't really understand what Jakotsu was babbling on about but seeing him talking so animatedly had her laughing. Especially when he showed her a headband and claimed that it belonged to a little weasel that was so scrumptious looking, he couldn't wait to eat him up.

She didn't really want him to eat the weasel but Jakotsu was like that: weird, bright and happy—always gushing on and on about something. He never cared that Suikotsu wasn't listening or that Renkotsu found him annoying. The effeminate man just smiled and talked some more.

Out of the four men that Kagome lived with, she enjoyed Jakotsu's company the most, even if he didn't help her to understand what he was saying. She just nodded her head and let him talk. Sometimes when he was gone on a mission, Kagome was often left on her own unless she sought the company of Bankotsu or Suikotsu (and that was only if they had stayed behind). Renkotsu didn't really like her presence and made it clear to her, so she didn't really bother him unless she really needed him.

It was lonely on the shrine where she lived on. They were the only ones that lived there and anyone who tried to reach them could never make it past the mist. Her brothers would go down to welcome some that almost made it but Bankotsu-nii would come back and tell her that they didn't make it. It didn't really bother her but sometimes she wanted to make friends and have adventures, like the kind the friends in her books had.

Kagome followed the others back into the shrine and closed the door behind her. Renkotsu hadn't bothered giving her a single glance as he walked past her and to wherever he went after missions but she didn't mind, she was used to it. Just as she was about to follow Jakotsu and Bankotsu, Suikotsu called her to follow him.

Curious, she followed after, watching him brush his hand through his hair and tame it down. Slowly the green marks on his face faded and he gave her a tired smile when she "oohed" at the process.

It was always fascinating to watch Suikotsu go through the process of deactivating his powers. He wouldn't tell her what kind of powers he and the rest of the mercenaries had but he did tell her that even she had a special ability, just like them. He explained that their powers were something that no one else could have. Not even ninjas would be able to copy what they did. He said something about bloodline limits but she had gotten distracted by the thought that she had something that connected them all. It was like they were all family now. Plus, when her powers finally activated, she'd be able to help them out in their missions.

She wouldn't be stuck at the shrine alone anymore.

Suikotsu opened a different screen and Kagome finally recognized where they were: the med room.

She gave him a curious look as he lifted her up an onto the sterile table but stayed quiet, knowing that in the med room, Suikotsu demanded silence to work.

He went about the room, grabbing cloths and a warm basin of water. When he returned to her, he clipped the cloth into smaller pieces and dipped them into the water. He lifted her chin up and with the cloth, wiped away something from her face and neck. Pulling away, she looked at the cloth and noticed red stains. Blood.

"You shouldn't touch us when we're covered in blood Kagome." He spoke softly as he dipped another cloth into the water and dabbed her face. "It stains you."

She wrinkled her nose when he scrubbed a bit harshly at one spot. "But I miss you guys!"

"Kagome..."

He sighed and Kagome dropped her gaze to the floor. Suikotsu didn't like blood, she knew that, but sometimes she just couldn't help herself when she saw them again. They were her family, even if Bankotsu was her only blood relative and Renkotsu didn't like her. She loved them and when they were gone for so long, she was just so happy to see them again.

But with a resigned and slightly pouty look, she glanced back up at the doctor and promised she'd wait untill they got cleaned.

He patted her on the head. "You're becoming very responsible Kagome. That's good." She smiled brightly at him, not seeing the pained expression pass through his eyes.

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Light blue eyes stared sullenly back at her.

Kagome sighed and splashed at her reflection, annoyed that this is all she seemed to do. It had almost been seven days now since she had last seen her brother and the others. She was trying her hardest not to be worried but usually whenever they left her on her own, they sent one person back to her after four days.

They always checked on her. Always.

Plus, tomorrow was her birthday. She'd be turning six and Bankotsu had promised her that he'd teach her some "super awesome fighting moves", as she liked to call it.

Rolling on her back, some of her hair falling into the pond behind her, she stared up at the sky. She hardly ever saw clouds here. But today it looked like there were a lot. _I__n fact... _she squinted up at the sky.

"They're getting kinda darkish. Maybe it'll rain today?" She mumbled to herself. Sighing dramatically, Kagome pushed herself up and glanced over at the worn down path that led to the shrine.

_Looks like another day alone. _

Standing up, she brushed herself off and headed back to the shrine, not wanting to get caught in the rain that might come soon.

One step away from the door, a sound rustled behind her and thinking it was her brother, she spun around quickly, looking over the whole area. Nobody appeared.

_Was probably just an animal, _she figured and shrugged it off, disappointed.

It was that reason she was completely taken aback when hands circled around her, one hand clamping down on her mouth to prevent her from screaming, and the other pulling her roughly against somebody's body.

"Don't move. Don't scream. Don't even speak. Otherwise you're dead." Kagome bit her lip and swallowed to stop the whimper from escaping her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded slightly.

The person, she recognized as a man, released her and turned her around. She gasped and took a half-step back.

The mercenaries, bloody and beaten and ripped of their weapons, were chained, gagged and blindfolded there on the grounds of the shrine. Beside each body stood two masked and cloaked people.

_How did they suddenly appear?_

She flinched when the one who threatened her came close to her and kneeled in front of her. She saw a strap of pouches attached to his leg and the sheath of a standard sword strapped to the man's back. Ninja. Her eyes never left the mask of the man as he reached behind him into another pouch and produced a blindfold and chains. The chains went on first.

She wanted to say that she had stood there bravely and had shown no fear. She wanted to say she was strong.

But she shook fiercely as the cold metal chains clamped down on her small wrists.

_Tomorrow is my birthday._

That was what she thought as the blindfold closed around her eyes, her last sight being that of her family.

_I was going to ask Bankotsu-nii for a new book._

She was pushed forward by a hand on her back. She stumbled and the hand behind her gripped her haori and hauled her back up until she was steady.

_Jakotsu was going to get me a small dagger to practice with._

They started off with a slow and even pace as they trailed the mountain. Listening around, Kagome caught the sound of a waterfall that she could only get to if she went _down_ the mountain. Hearing it get louder as they walked, she at least knew they were heading down and away from the mountain. Away from home.

_Suikotsu said I was getting tall and that I needed a new outfit. _

It wasn't long before she started panting, the trip out of the mountain tiring her out quickly. Her brother had never made her do any kind of physical work which is what Bankotsu-nii had noticed and why he was allowing Jakotsu to give her a weapon and start her training to get her fit. She had been so excited.

Kagome willed her short legs to take longer steps, if only to not have to be dragged across the rocky mountain pass by the back of her haori. The hand of her porcelain masked captor pushed her along ruthlessly and she imagined he was probably scowling at the slow pace she was forcing them to go.

_Renkotsu was scowling but Bankotsu-nii promised that he was going to get me pastries from the village since I don't get to eat those often. _

The thought of food made her stomach grumble and she berated herself for skipping lunch and staying outside for so long. Suddenly she tripped and floundered around, the cuffs and the strength of her captor preventing her fall. An order was given and she was steadied out. Her ankles stung and she knew she must have cut them on the gravel pass but the porcelain men made her continue the treacherous walk with no thought given to the small wounds.

Kagome sniffled, hoping the men couldn't hear her. But more than that, she hoped her brother couldn't hear her. As she had been led over to the mercenaries when they had initially captured her, Bankotsu had muttered to her, "Don't show them weakness."

And she tried, she really did! But it was hard. This was hard.

Just standing there as they put the cloth over her eyes and the chain on her wrists, as they forced her to walk without rest or even a hint of where they were taking her or a reason why just made it hard to be strong.

She wanted to cry because she was so confused and so very, very scared.

It was her _birthday_ tomorrow. Things like this shouldn't happen. Not now; not ever.

She looked at the cuffs on her wrists. She should have been able to fight back, save her brothers, or just be able to do _something_! But all she had been able to do was shake.

She was frightened right now, yes, but she was also starting to feel just a little angry.

Kagome sniffed the air and noted the change in the weather. Her throat was getting dry and the rain would be merciful. She swallowed and licked her cracked lips.

They had been walking for quite a while now, having left the mountain behind in what seemed like ages ago. The cuts on her ankles had also stopped hurting as badly but whenever her ankle brushed against something, they throbbed in pain. Wiggling in discomfort, the hand on her back gripped the shirt more tightly, reminding her that any unwanted movement was not going to be tolerated.

A few moments later, the rain started.

Slowly at first and then growing harsher as time went on. She licked up any water that passed by her lips and strained her ears to hear past the harsh storm. She shivered and wished she could see. The blindfold was making her disoriented and if it wasn't for the hand on her back, she might have feared steering away from the group and ending up lost.

Ahead of her, someone called out to the others. It was code and she didn't know what it meant but for a moment a flash of fear rushed through her. Fear that they were going to do something to her family or to her. They were completely in the shinobi's grasps after all.

And she couldn't do a darn thing to stop them if they tried anything. She was a liability to the mercenaries who were already injured and weaponless.

The hand on her back released her haori but hovered nearby. She tensed herself in preparation of possibly being tortured when another presence made itself known in front of her. But, the only thing that happened was her cuffs were loosened and her blindfold was removed.

The forest was gray and dark and she had to repeatedly blink away the rain to be able to focus on the ninja in front of her. She decided the man in the odd cloak was the most interesting.

She had noticed this one earlier at the shrine but her shock at seeing her brothers so hurt had distracted her. He was different from the rest because while the others wore black cloaks, he wore yellow. Maybe he was the leader? She wasn't sure, she didn't bother learning about shinobi because in The Land of Demons, shinobi were rare. It was like there was an invisible line between the border of the Elemental Nations and the Demonic Continents because demons hardly crossed over and shinobi were almost never invited to these lands.

Looking at the yellow cloaked ninja, she focused on the thing that really caught her attention: the mask. They all wore a certain type of animal masks and this one... it made her think of a weasel. It made her remember of what Jakotsu had said.

_Jakotsu reached into his kimono and took out a cloth, a piece of dense metal attached to it. Etched into the surface of the metal was a weird symbol. She had never seen such a weird object before and she wanted to know what it was. She looked at the effeminate man for an explanation. _

"_This, Kagome-chan, belongs to a __little weasel." He smirked slyly and leaned closer to her, "He was so darn scrumptious looking, I can't wait to see him again to eat him up."_

Kagome realized that this must be the weasel Jakotsu had wanted to see again. And the weasel-man had beaten him and her brother and the rest of Bankotsu-nii's team.

_He must be really, really strong. _She thought with a quiver of her lips. Maybe noticing her fear, the man, because he had to be a man for Jakotsu to be interested, slowly held out a hand for her to take. She only stared at him blankly.

She didn't trust him. She didn't trust any of them and she wasn't about to take any of their hands and go off to wherever they wanted to take her. If they were going to...

If they were going to execute her brothers, they better do it in front of her and plan her death next, she decided firmly. She didn't want to be left alone. She didn't want to leave them either.

But the weasel-man continued to hold out his hand.

Feeling more than annoyed, Kagome narrowed her eyes at him and because of the cold and her fear, her voice shook as she said, "I w-won't go with y-you."

He lowered his hand and stood swiftly, causing her to flinch. He took a step back and waved her forward. Because the rest of the team holding her family captive followed the man in the weasel mask, she followed too without hesitation. They reached a tall and dark cave that frightened her even more than the men because she was afraid of the dark. As they walked further inside, the moon was shrouded by the dark rain clouds, stealing her sight of her brothers as they were led on.

The hand on her back returned and guided her along. She wondered how he was able to walk so confidently even though he probably couldn't see his comrades either. Maybe this cave was regularly used by shinobi?

Soon the hand stopped her and she shivered and stifled a yawn. They had been walking for a long time in the rain and the cave was damp and cold and her feet ached.

The cave became alight as someone used a small fire jutsu. Kagome was filled with awe at the weasel-man as she watched him expel the controlled stream of fire. She had never seen someone use a jutsu before but she had read plenty about that. Ninjutsu was the only thing that truly interested her about shinobi. They always seemed so amazing and Kagome wanted to learn at least one jutsu.

As the fire was settled, Kagome almost gravitated toward it but the sight of her brothers being led away from it caused her to start toward them instead. The weasel-man intercepted her, and knowing how much stronger this man was, she contained her annoyance. She didn't want him to think of her as a pest, or – worst case scenario - a threat.

She wasn't a threat to anyone. Not even to bugs. But she figured he probably already knew that.

He spoke to the man behind her. His voice was smooth and calm and it was nice but it was the voice of the man doing this to her family. Something was passed over her head but she didn't let her gaze waver from the weasel-man's mask.

He crouched to her level and gently offered her something. Deciding to risk it, she glanced at the object and saw it was a loaf of bread. She didn't want to take it but she was so very hungry. He pushed it closer to her and in her fear, she toppled backwards and almost fell. The shinobi was quicker and softly but firmly he grasped her wrists to pull her back toward him. The feel of his hands on her made her shake more so he released them quickly.

"Eat." He spoke softly, holding out the loaf again. "You need the sustenance."

She listened to her body's hunger and took the bread. Tentatively she bit into it but never let her gaze leave the shinobi. The fire allowed her to see past the eye holes of the mask and she could see that the weasel-man had dark eyes. Sharp but... gentle.

She didn't like them. Those eyes lied. Those were not the eyes of someone who beat her family and took her away in chains. His eyes should have been harsh and evil not sympathetic. She wanted him to look away, take his lies away, but his gaze never wavered.

When she was done, the man lead her over to her brother and once she was close enough, she quickly grasped onto her brother's hand. He curled his much larger fingers around her small hand and she leaned into him, finally feeling just a brief period of safety at being by his side again. He would protect her from anything, he swore that to her a long time ago.

They were given the instructions that they could sit and lean against the cavern walls; It seemed they were finally going to allow them a break. When they all sat down, looking as comfortable as the masked men let them be, Kagome crawled onto Bankotsu's lap and leaned into him, letting his body warm her slowly instead of asking to go to the fire. She didn't want anything from those ninja's.

She didn't dream that night and it felt like only a minute later that she was being shaken awake and Bankotsu-nii was telling her to wake up.

Kagome rubbed her eyes and yawned, "I'm tired Aniki."

"We must continue."

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Kagome opened her eyes and stiffened at the sight of the shinobi.

She had hoped it had been just a really bad dream.

Kagome started shaking as she stood up slowly from the ground. She was still really scared, especially now that the morning sun was allowing her to see in the cave and looking at her brother and the mercenaries just reminded her that these people were stronger. These people could kill them. Why were they doing this? Why couldn't they just leave her family alone? What did they ever do? She wanted to ask but her mouth wouldn't open. She couldn't make a sound because the threat from the shinobi in the rat mask was still in her head.

"_Don't move. Don't scream. Don't even speak. Otherwise you're dead."_

So quietly, she straightened herself out and noticed that she was covered in the yellow cloak. She glanced over at the weasel-man. He was wearing some weird uniform with no cloak in sight. Why would he give a prisoner something to keep warm? All the villains in her books never did anything nice like give food or clothing. A cold breeze of air sweeped around the cave.

In the end it didn't matter who's it was, she decided, because it was cold this morning and so she pulled the yellow cloak tighter around her body. The weasel-man approached her and rolled the long sleeves up her hand with ease and softly cuffed her hands again but thankfully left her eyes alone.

With her awake and secured, they left the cave.

"Take off in approximately 50 meter." More code came from the shinobi behind her. Kagome was starting to get really annoyed. She just wanted to know what was happening.

It wasn't long before they stopped in a large clearing. Kagome watched with confusion as one of the men pulled out something from within his cloak and handed it to the weasel-man. It looked like a normal scroll. Maybe it had a map? Maybe the shinobi were lost? With quick and weird hand movements, the scroll began to glow and Kagome gasped and tried to move back but the hand on her back prevented that. Smoke clouded her vision and she felt herself get dizzy and just a little nauseous but soon the feeling and the smoke vanished.

The weasel-man took off and Kagome took in the new scent of the area. It smelled nothing like home but this forest didn't smell so bad either. It was calm and she liked the scenery a little more than the mountain that was almost nothing but jagged rocks and dead vegetation. Being able to see that this forest wasn't as scary as the last allowed her to calm her shaking. Maybe ten minutes later the weasel-man was back and giving a quick report to the others.

They walked onward, the forest thinning out and bright rays of sun leaking through the branches, warming her body. Finally, Kagome noticed a break in the forest and felt anxiety bubble in her in stomach. When she stepped through the last row of trees, the light blinded her, making her eyes squeeze shut reflexively. Slowly she opened them and immediately zoned in on the large imposing wall. She couldn't help but gape at it.

The man behind her pushed her along when she had stopped to stare and Kagome finally noticed the (comparatively) small door that they were heading toward. Beside the door stood two shinobi, neither wearing the masks or cloaks that her captors wore. Her blue eyes gazed at the band tied around their foreheads.

It was the cloth that Jakotsu had shown her. She wondered what it meant but didn't bother to ask. She doubted they'd answer any of her questions. Plus, she was still too scared to ask anything. Even for the potty break she was starting to desperately need.

When they passed through the door, the guards spared her a single curious glance before the doors closed. In front of them stood an elderly man and more of what she assumed were shinobi, each of them bearing the weird headband. She was starting to think it meant they were ninja's.

Some of the other shinobi's approached her family and lead them over to a jail-cell where they cautiously took off the blindfold and gags. Kagome figured that all these ninja's must be strong which was why they weren't afraid of giving the mercenaries some freedom.

It made Kagome wonder why the others were taking orders from the old man. He didn't seem like he could be stronger than all of them. He didn't even look like a ninja with how heavily bandaged he was. He even walked with a cane.

But taking a quick glance at his eyes exterminated her doubts. _Those_ were the cruel, harsh eyes that she had thought would be on the weasel-man and now, seeing those eyes glaring _right at her _made her wish for the weasel-man back.

Her fear tripled and her breathing grew shallow because it **felt** like he was going to kill her. Why could she feel it? Within a second, the weasel-man appeared in front of her, blocking her from the sights of the evil man. And she didn't even care that he was protecting her when he had been the one to bring her here,at least the glare was off of her and that was good enough. _Thank Kami for that. _

She sighed softly in relief, feeling the killing intent be somewhat relieved, and looked toward the mercenaries. The ninja were closing the cells and she desperately wished to be with them in there, even if it was with Renkotsu at this point, but the ninja behind her had the back of the haori in his grip again. She was still too scared to try and be defiant.

Because she wasn't listening to the conversation, it came as a surprise when the weasel-man faced her. She looked up at his mask and wondered briefly what he looked like under there, but that thought left quickly. She didn't want to be here long enough to know.

"I need you to follow me." He said and she spared a glance to her brother who stared back at her. Bankotsu tipped his head and Kagome looked back at the shinobi and nodded her head. If nii-san thought she was safe, then she trusted him.

The hand gripping her haori let her go and only she and the weasel-man walked past the old man and up many sets of stairs. The climbed one more set of stairs before the weasel-man finally stopped and opened a door. Before going in, Kagome looked down the staircase. She couldn't even see the first set of stairs they climbed from way up here. The shinobi cleared his throat and held the door open for her. She looked down once more and then quickly walked through the door.

The change from white intimidating walls to a pleasant red and warm papering left her feeling more uneasy than comforted. A few shinobi and what seemed like civilians (she assumed so because they weren't wearing the headband) passed her, but the only ones that stood out were the ones with scars or the tall man that had been reading a bright orange book that looked like her nii-san's while leaning against a wall. His bright silver hair stuck out in a funny way and made her stare, wondering if that really was his hair color. He looked up, feeling her stare and smiled (well, she thought he smiled. His masked face left her unsure but his only visible eye has scrunched up in what made her think was a smile).

Finally they stopped in front of a door and once again the weasel-man held it open for her. This time she hesitated because through the door she could see it was a large office and sitting at the only desk in the room, was a red-headed woman. To the side of the room stood three elderly people, but these, unlike the evil man, didn't make her scared. If anything, the one standing closest to the desk smoking a pipe made her feel a bit... safe? It felt completely opposite of whatever the bandaged man was giving off.

Some of the tension eased from her shoulders and slowly she stepped into the room, the weasel-man guiding her in and stopping her to stand beside him and in front of the desk.

There was a small moment of silence before the red-headed woman leaned over her desk and stared at Kagome right in the eyes.

She blinked at the odd and abrupt manner, while the three elderly people sighed in exasperation.

"So you're the little kid I've been hearing so much about, huh?" the red-head asked, giving her a once-over.

Kagome fidgeted a little, self-conscious over her appearance but eventually she registered her words and scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. Why would this lady know anything about her? She never even left the shrine, there was no way someone could have gone to this lady and told her things. She took a tiny step back, even when the woman finally leaned away. Kagome was worried. What if the lady thought she was that child of prophesy that Bankotsu-nii had been telling her about last year?The woman grabbed a scroll on her desk and looked to be reading it over.

Wanting to clarify things, Kagome spoke. "I'm..." She got the attention of the room. "I'm not the child of prophesy that the villagers around my home talked about... nii-san said some crazy man was spreading those rumors but that they're not about me." Kagome scratched her arm as the lady smiled, obviously entertained. "Just... I don't know if that's why I'm here..."

The redhead snorted in amusement and smirked at Kagome. "Trust me kid, this isn't about any prophesy but at least now I know where Jiraiya went." she muttered, more to herself than anyone in the room. She focused back on Kagome and asked, "So what's your name then?" the lady asked, going back to her scroll. To Kagome, the woman seemed to be trying to appear uninterested but she caught the red-head stealing another glance at her. It was funny and the lady seemed like she could be trusted but... to give her name away?

The woman probably knew her name already, if she was telling the truth and someone had come to her with information. But the woman was asking and if Kagome gave it away, she was giving consent to more questions.

Biting her lip, Kagome thought about Bankotsu and what he would do. _Probably fight. He doesn't answer to those he doesn't want to... but he's down below, in a cell and weak and powerless and this lady has to be the leader since I'm talking to her right now. __I just... I just want to go home... My birthday... it__'__s today. I just want to go home._

"Kagome." she said softly, her gaze on the floor and shame filling her at the thought that this was practically like betraying her brothers. They would have expected her to be stronger then this and to never give away info. "My name is Kagome."

The redhead grinned, "Well Kagome, my name is Kushina." She leaned over her desk again and whispered to Kagome. "I'm the Hokage but calling me that will make me feel just as old as those guys over there look."

Kagome tried not to smile but it was hard. Kushina's grin was contagious.

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* * *

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He walked slowly, descending lower and lower into the roots. His thoughts were centered on what Kushina, _the fifth Hokage_, he thought with a scoff, had decided to do not even hours ago.

She was sealing off the abilities of the mercenaries, essentially making them harmless civilians and locking their weapons away into a scroll that would be guarded with all the other "dangerous and forbidden" scrolls. They would be "allowed" to stay within Konoha walls; Prisoners in all but appearance. As for the girl... She was being signed into the Academy, right at this moment, if his information was correct.

His grip on his cane tightened. It was decisions like those that were making Konoha weak in the eyes of the other major villages. The mercenaries should have been executed the moment they were captured. The girl was of no concern to him, just a waste of ANBU time in his opinion.

His eyes narrowed suddenly, but he smirked when he realized just who was following him.

Leading the hidden stalker to a large and empty room, he stopped and thought back to a different issue. One of far more concern than some ridiculous mercenary scandal.

The Uchiha Clan was not going to be subdued and while Kushina wanted to believe in what Sarutobi said, that a negotiation would be possible, _he_ could see it in her eyes. She knew that the Uchiha's were becoming too unstable and any attempt on her part was now being dismissed. Not even her friendship with Mikoto would assist her any longer. Fugaku would always consider his clan before the safety of his wife and children. Kushina knew this and eventually she would agree to his plan: The Uchiha's would need to be eradicated.

"Despite what the Sandaime has said, The Godaime will move to protect the leaf if push comes to shove. That's the kind of woman she is." He said calmly to the shadows. He turned around, not surprised to see Itachi standing there. "In which case even Kushina, as Hokage, will have no choice but to take decisive measures. Whether it results in war or not, the moment the coup d'etat happens, the Uchiha will lock themselves into a fate of annihilation."

"Including you innocent little brother." He continued on. "However, there is a way to spare just your little brother prior to the coup d'etat."

And though Itachi made no show, not even the smallest hint that he was considering, Danzo knew that soon, Konoha would be minus one clan.

And only a few weeks later, The Uchiha Massacre occurred at the hands of Uchiha Itachi.

However, to Danzo's frustration, Uchiha Sasuke was not the only survivor.

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* * *

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Six Years Later

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Kagome glared down at the spiky head in front of her, more annoyed that her annoyance was going ignored then anything else.

Sasuke hadn't actually done anything to her today or even said anything to her actually, but just seeing his face was pissing her off. If anyone bothered asking her though, she'd just say that Sasuke had cheated in another one of their fights. She'd try not to talk to Shikamaru though, he liked reminding her that using the Sharingan wasn't cheating and Sasuke had every right to use it. Who's side was that lazy guy on anyway?

Besides, Sasuke actually had used the Sharingan in the last spar that Iruka had paired them in and like always, she had lost to him. It was always so humiliating that Sasuke choose whether she would get a hit in or not, all he had to do was activate his Sharingan and there went all her speed and strength training. His stupid sharingan always gave him the damn advantage.

Shikamaru told her if she just used her head instead of getting so frustrated, she'd probably be able to get him, Sharingan or not. After all, she was naturally faster than Sasuke but until she could get a handle on her temper, she doubted she'd be able to beat the Sharingan. Which is why Shikamaru always smirked at her after every spar. Damn gloating bastard.

If it wasn't for the fact that Shikamaru actually tolerated her endless amount of questions, she might have labeled him as Enemy #2. She glared back at the shaggy mess of black hair that belonged to Sasuke and tried to summon a lighting bolt to strike him down where he sat! Shikamaru was lucky that Enemy #1 sat in front of her and pissed her off more than him.

However, her assassination attempt was put on hold as Iruka called her name.

She smiled confidently and strode out of the room, ignoring the coal eyes that followed her.

It was time to take her genin test and receive her headband.

She was finally going to be a shinobi.

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* * *

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*Ninmenka: The Human Faced Fruit Tree that was featured in the Inuyasha series.

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So, what'd you guys think? Interested? I gotta admit, I'm really excited about this. And this time, I promise I won't flake on you guys. Updates just may be slow due to life.

Updated

January 13th, 2014


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